Quán Ốc Quang Anh
Does anyone know how many different kinds of ốc ̣(snails & related shellfish) there are in the world?
How about, just in Vietnam?
Sorry, I don’t know either … well, except I know there’s a WHOLE LOT!
So many ốc, so little time 🙂
Hai and my recent stop at Quán Ốc Quang Anh for dinner made that clear.
A glance at the wall menu showed a long long laundry list of ốc options. And, a glance at the snail-filled display bins as we entered the place put to shame my childhood seashell collections from our neighborhood New Jersey beaches.
Paralyzed by the overwhelming number of ốc options, and being semi-clueless about whether to order the tiny black ones, the huge brown and yellow ones, the ones from the river beds or those from the South Asia Sea, I punted.
“Hai, please, you order tonight.” (Had I been on my own, I’d have likely resorted to the “point and eat” approach to ordering dinner.)
Hột vịt lộn xào me (duck embryo in a tamarind sauce).
I did suggest to Hai that his order might include some of my favorite mollusks and crustaceans – tamarind shrimp, clams in lemongrass … plus, of course, the classic Vietnamese pre-seafood appetizer, hột vịt lộn xào me (duck embryo in a tamarind sauce). He graciously obliged. 🙂
ốc
Saigon’s sidewalks are filled with local street food vendors offering small plastic tables, red plastic stools, and yummy mollusk and crustacean treats. But here at Quán Ốc Quang Anh, Hai and I got to enjoy our goodies at an inside table – convenient on a showery evening.
True, we sat elbow to elbow with literally a hundred other locals in a semi-chaotic serving/eating environment. Not a tourist in sight, not a word of English heard anywhere. Dishes and money flying between waiters and eaters in every direction. Bright lights, lots of noise and general chaos … but, what fun! A classic Saigon experience!
Ốc (snails) in a yummy garlic, bacon fat sauce
And, our meal, excellent! Hột vịt lộn – so good! The small clams – tender and sweet, sitting in that tangy lemongrass infused broth. Those names-yet-to-be-determined snails smothered in a mouth-watering garlic sauce. And the firm fresh prawns in my favorite tamarind sauce. MAJOR YUM!
Firm fresh prawns in my favorite tamarind sauce
A million ốc options here – well almost
A “real” Saigon neighborhood. A “real” Saigon eatery. A “real” Saigon adventure!
Open from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Quán Ốc Quang Anh
189 Tô Hiến Thành
District 10
HCMC
So whats the approximate cost at this places?
Oh – everything is super affordable … low local prices! And a real local experience.
Any advice for a first time visitor on eating street food and not getting traveler’s diarrhea?
Just use common sense. My experience is that the locals cooking on the streets for many years know well how to handle their foods. Eat where there’s a crowd of locals. I eat street food in Saigon everyday. The two times I had a serious stomach problem was from eating “western” French pastries (perhaps local folk are not savy about refrigerating pastry cream fillings??) Of course, always travel with appropriate medications. Mostly – enjoy!